Diarmuid Breen holds a BA in Visual Art from the Dublin Institute of Technology Sherkin arts programme (2012). Since graduating he has exhibited regularly in Cork and Dublin. He is represented by Taylor Galleries, Dublin, McKenna Gallery, Omagh, County Tyrone and Blue House Gallery, County Cork. He has exhibited at Boyle Arts Festival, RHA Annual exhibitions and was the inaugural winner of the Anita Young Award for a mid-career artist at the 191st RHA Annual Exhibition. His works have appeared on a number of book covers including Paul Muldoon's Frolic and Detour, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill's Northern Lights and most recently Molly Twomey's Raised among Vultures.
Diarmuid Breen's artwork is a subtle commentary on various aspects of contemporary human experience. This includes the role that work plays in our lives, being busy, the pressure to make money and its connection or disconnection to the pursuit of happiness. As a counterpoint the artist also highlights the importance of escaping the working environment to gain perspective on where happiness truly lies. The uncertainty, strangeness and banal nature of everyday life is portrayed using sources found in old books and photographs, giving the artist's paintings a nostalgic feel but they are still relatable to contemporary experience.